


Kazekage rescued

by kuzujuk



Category: Naruto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 00:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuzujuk/pseuds/kuzujuk
Summary: Being an honored guest would be great except Naruto would actually like to have a conversation with his FRIEND, who has BEEN THROUGH SOME STUFF





	Kazekage rescued

Naruto can't sleep, despite the whirlwind of activity that hasn't stopped since Gaara opened his eyes again out in the wilderness. As a guest with no standing in the Village of Sand, Naruto has mostly been buffeted from side to side for two days by people who don't understand that he has important things to say to their Kazekage. Sakura has disappeared somewhere, maybe to talk to the medical corps or maybe to punch rocks to pieces, he's not entirely sure of her grieving process. Kakashi is laid up in the hospital. 

Every time he sees Gaara for two seconds, someone interrupts before they can have a conversation, and people keep inviting him, the honored guest from Leaf, to have some tea or enjoy the fine sculptures in the gallery or maybe go into the town and tour some shops. It's hard to enjoy the accolades when they're getting in the way of what he actually came here for, and he's been aggressively persuaded to drink so many cups of tea, he's had to pee in every bathroom in the Kazekage’s palace.

It's all built into an aggravation that keeps him from sleeping, making him toss and turn at least as much as the bone-deep specific ache which tells him he must have used the Fox’s chakra at some point that he doesn't remember. The bed they've given him to sleep in is the most luxurious he's ever seen, but it's not helping. Part of him can't help thinking how much everything probably costs. Jiraiya got him back in the habit of worrying about money and now he can't shake it.

He kicks off his blankets for the sixth time in a half hour and gets up. There are no carved heads on a cliff side to climb, but there's the roof, anyway. At least at this hour no one’s going to offer him more tea or tiny strangely-flavored pastries or sticky fruit stuffed with nuts. Probably. If they do, he'll just scream loud enough to cause a diplomatic incident, he decides. Then they'll  _ have  _ to put him in a room with Gaara.

Most of the palace is dark, and Naruto dodges night patrols by hiding around corners. When he gets to the last set of stairs, there’s light above him. He bites back an irritated sigh and prepares himself to be polite to someone, but it's just the guy with the makeup, what's his name, Gaara's brother, sitting by the door out to the roof.

“What,” he says when he sees Naruto. “You don't sleep either? Is it a jinchuuriki thing? We should have asked you people for advice years ago.” 

“What?” 

Makeup dude hitches a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the door. “He's out there, if you're looking for him. Don't tell him I'm still here, though. He told me to go to sleep.” 

He looks like he's halfway asleep already, but it's not worth mentioning. Naruto still isn't sure what the deal is with Gaara's siblings, and he's not particularly interested. 

Gaara is sitting on the rooftop railing, barefoot in a t-shirt, like Naruto. He looks around when Naruto approaches, but doesn't say anything. For a second neither does Naruto, because now he's here, he's not sure what he was going to say in the first place, and also he can't help checking for signs that Gaara has recently been dead.

He doesn't really look all that different. If anything, he looks healthier than Naruto remembered him from years ago. He's got those bruises around his eyes, still, and he's scrawnier than any ninja ought to be, but he can get away with that, maybe, since his sand does the fighting for him. And something about him seems more settled than it did when they first met. A weight carried not in his physical body but in his attitude. 

“Would you like to sit?” Gaara says, after a minute, and Naruto hitches a leg over the railing to dangle his feet over the village below. Liking heights—is that a jinchuuriki thing? Is there such a thing as a  _ jinchuuriki thing?  _ Is that even what Gaara is anymore? 

That's a weird thought. Naruto wouldn't wish a tailed beast on anyone, and being a jinchuuriki literally got Gaara killed, but still. There’s something bittersweet about the idea that Naruto might be the only one, again. 

“I assumed you would be sleeping,” Gaara says. 

“What about you?” Naruto asks. “You're the one who was dead for like two hours.” 

“I have been very thoroughly attended to,” Gaara says, with what might be the tiniest hint of sarcasm. Note to self: it's possible that sometimes being a Kage is actually a huge pain in the ass. “Anyway, I'm not in the habit of sleeping. I wish Kankuro would, though. I told him I would be all right.” 

“Oh, that guy? Yeah, he said not to tell you he's in there.”

Gaara smiles, just barely. “Who does he think I am?” 

“I mean, you did die,” Naruto says. “Like, your brother’s a huge weirdo, but we were pretty worried.”

Gaara doesn't say anything to that. He looks troubled, but he always looks troubled. 

“Where's the other one?” Naruto asks. “The loud lady? Sister, right?” 

“She is out there somewhere,” Gaara says, gesturing vaguely into the night. “She's a little more subtle than Kankuro.”

“They're pretty protective, huh?” 

“Like your friend,” Gaara agrees. “Haruno Sakura. And everyone from the Leaf, it seems. They all care for you very much. You all care for each other.” 

“It's not just a Leaf thing, dude. You saw how many people came out into the middle of nowhere to rescue you, right?”

Gaara hesitates. “Yes,” he says, at last. “I am sorry. I caused everyone a lot of trouble. I have been trying not to, since—” he shrugs, a little uncomfortable gesture like he's trying to throw a weight off his shoulders. “Well, it is all thanks to you, Naruto.”

“Me?”

“What you said to me, years ago. I thought very hard about it, and you were right. I am much stronger when I am fighting to protect my people. I wish I had been successful.”

“What, against the Akatsuki? You  _ were. _ ”

“I missed the spy,” Gaara says. “And I didn't realize it was me they were looking for. I should have considered that possibility.”

“And then what? You wouldn't hide, would you? You'd still want to protect everyone anyway, right? It's not your fault, that's bullshit. It's bullshit! The whole thing!” 

Gaara is frowning at him in a way that reveals nothing at all about his thoughts. Naruto heaves an irritated sigh and swings his legs back over the railing so he can stand up and pace, because he's full of nervous energy again. Gaara turns to watch him, saying nothing.

“Look at you,” Naruto says. “You're sitting up here by yourself, thinking  _ you  _ did something wrong because the Akatsuki were after you the whole time and you didn't realize. But why were they after you? Because you're a  _ jinchuuriki,  _ because of this stupid bullshit thing  _ those people  _ did to us when we were little kids! Is it your fault you have a raccoon in your head? No! It's not your fault somebody wanted a fancy weapon and thought, hey, great, I have a baby, I have a Beast, let's just combine them, that won't ruin anybody's life or anything!” 

He kicks at the drifts of sand that have blown onto the roof, raising a cloud of dust as he looks for a rock large enough to throw. “It's not  _ fair.  _ The whole entire stupid thing isn't fair, and it's especially not fair to you, like, why do  _ you  _ always get the short end of the stick? It's  _ bullshit.  _ Why didn't they come after me first, I would have kicked their asses. Why can't they just leave you alone?” 

As usual it takes Gaara longer to respond than it would have taken Naruto. Like he has to really  _ think  _ about what he's going to say. 

What he says is, “I suppose I am not a jinchuuriki now.”

It's not what Naruto was expecting. He stops pacing and frowns at Gaara. Gaara is watching Naruto’s feet. 

“It feels—strange,” he says. “He was not a good companion. But he was always there.” 

Naruto says nothing. What would it feel like, not to have the Fox there, always waiting for him to lose his temper? He doesn't usually notice that it's there, but would he notice if it weren't? And it always seemed like the Raccoon was more active, had more control. 

Gaara lifts a hand and presses his fingers to his forehead, over the scars that spell  _ love.  _ “Would it be wrong of me,” he says quietly. “If I missed him?” 

That sounds like a complicated question. Maybe someone smart could answer it, like Sakura, but Naruto has no clue. 

“I don't know,” he says. “All I know is it's bullshit that you never get to have a  _ choice  _ about anything.” 

“No,” Gaara says. “You're wrong, Naruto. I did have one choice. I told you about it, just now. To love myself by protecting others. The choice  _ you  _ gave me.” 

Naruto crosses his arms and cocks his head to the side. He's not sure that counts, but maybe it does to Gaara. “Well, whatever. I don't know why you're not super pissed off. I would be.”

“You are, in fact.” 

“Yeah, ok, smartass! Only because you're being weird and gloomy when that’s not your job!” 

“I don't know,” Gaara says. “Perhaps he took all of my anger with him. It always felt more like it belonged to him, anyway.” He looks down at his hands. “I feel—empty. I think I should be happy, with so many friends here. But it feels like I have lost something.” 

“You did die,” Naruto reminds him, because he's never going to be over that. He is going to  _ kill  _ those Akatsuki. Just let them come for him. “You're allowed to be upset after you died, right?” 

Gaara tilts his face up to the sky. “I suppose. I have never quite understood what I am allowed to do, I think.” 

“Do you need a list? ‘Cause I have a whole set of rules for being a kid nobody likes. Number one, you're _ definitely  _ allowed to graffiti on anything you want and if people get mad at you that's proof it was a good idea. Number two, probably don't kill anybody if they're not trying to kill you? Number three, always get extra pork in your ramen. I can go on.” 

Gaara closes his eyes and smiles. “You are a good friend, Naruto.” 

“Yeah? Well, everybody says you're a great Kazekage. But just so you know, when I get to be Hokage, I'm still gonna be better.”

“I believe you.” 

Naruto can tell that he means it, without a trace of irony. It almost hurts, being respected. But if he's going to be Hokage, he should get used to it. 

He moves back to the rail beside Gaara. “If you're feeling weird because you're all alone in your head, I'll stay here and keep you company. I'm really good at distracting people. Also, I’m really good at Shadow Clones, so if you want, I can distract you two times at once.” 

“Naruto,” Gaara says. He pauses for a second, and Naruto is sure he's going to say  _ please go away.  _ But he doesn't. What he says is: “Thank you. For rescuing me, again.” 

“Yeah, sure, no problem.” Why is it so much harder to handle being thanked than being yelled at? “Listen, just don't die again. We have to show everybody what we’re made of, ok, Kazekage? Make those old people real sorry they ever even invented jinchuuriki.” 

“Of course,” Gaara says. “I look forward to working with you, Hokage.” 

Friendship is a glow in his chest, the only thing that burns brighter than the Fox’s chakra. 


End file.
